Greece yesterday reiterated that the ongoing Turkish military operation in pursuit of separatist Kurdish rebels in northern Iraq was a violation of the national sovereignty of another country as well as of human rights. The condemnation came as, in Brussels, the European Union called on Turkey to withdraw its troops "as rapidly as possible", citing "its pressing concern" over the operation, which has sparked protests from international human rights groups.
"From the very first moment, Greece took a clear and strong stance condemning the Turkish incursion, which it considers to be an act of violation of the national sovereignty of another country and of human rights," government spokesman Evangelos Venizelos said in reply to reporters' questions. Mr. Venizelos added that Greece had asked the European Union to take measures in response to the Turkish campaign.
Asked if Greece considered the operation to be an invasion by Turkey, Mr. Venizelos replied that "Greece does, and without the distinctions drawn by members of the EU troika", which initially excused the operations by the Turkish army in northern Iraq.
Replying to other questions, Mr. Venizelos said that Greece would state its position on the Turkish military operation when the issue is raised at the EU Council of Ministers and following discussion by the European Parliament. The spokesman noted that the issue of the incursion and that of the EU-Turkey customs union had been linked by almost all European Union member states.
The European Union yesterday called on Turkey to withdraw its troops "as rapidly as possible" from northern Iraq, where it has been waging an offensive against Kurdish separatists since last month. In a statement the French EU presidency repeated "its pressing concern" over the military operation, which has sparked protests from international human rights groups.
The 15-member Union "reaffirms the need for the strict respect of human rights and international humanitarian rights, and asks for the withdrawal of Turkish troops as rapidly as possible," the statement said.
The statement noted that representatives of the troika group of EU countries -- France, Germany and Spain -- had told Ankara during a visit on March 23 of the "risk to civilian populations, in particular refugees" posed by the action.
During talks they had called for a "rapid end" to the operation, it said, referring to "assurances given by the Turkish authorities on the limited duration of the operation and on protecting civilian populations."
The offensive by Ankara, in which it has sent 35,000 soldiers into northern Iraq to destroy bases of the separatist Kurdistan Worker's Party (PKK), is the largest since the PKK launched a guerrilla war in south-eastern Turkey in 1984 aimed at establishing a separate Kurdish state.
National Economy Minister Yiannos Papantoniou said yesterday that the rate of growth of the Greek economy in 1994 was 1.5 per cent, half a percentage point higher than the government's Convergence Programme target of one per cent.
Speaking to reporters after a meeting of the Economic Policy Committee, Mr. Papantoniou predicted that a similar positive result would be recorded in 1995. In March this year, he said, inflation stood at 10.3 per cent, compared with 10.4 per cent the previous month.
Mr. Papantoniou stressed that the rate of inflation would have been lower but for the farmers' mobilisations which burdened the price index by 0.1 per cent. The government's forecast for single-digit inflation in April or May continued to hold, Mr. Papantoniou said.
He also expressed the view that the stabilisation of the economy due to the drop in inflation and interest rates would result in the more rapid recovery of the economy, new investments and new jobs. Mr. Papantoniou said that the contract for the construction of Athens' new international airport at Spata would be ratified by Parliament within the next three months and work on the project would commence then. The Economic Policy Committee yesterday approved an Agriculture Ministry proposal for cheap housing loans for farmers as part of efforts to encourage them to remain in rural areas.
Political Spring party leader Antonis Samaras and the Communist Party of Greece (KKE) criticised Mr. Papantoniou's measures for farmers.
NATO Secretary-General Willy Claes has said the alliance's south-eastern flank had to be strengthened, adding that processes allowing for a rapprochement between Greece and Turkey should be speeded up, in an interview with the Belgian newspaper Le Soir.
Commenting on the postponement of his visit to Turkey and Greece, due to an illness last month, Mr. Claes said: "We will set new deadlines for the visits to both countries and we will speed up procedures for the rapprochement of the two countries."
"There are many differences pitching Greece and Turkey against each other. However, I believe there are certain possibilities of finding a compromise solution between the two countries for the structures of Nato's administration in this region. And for this reason I have prepared a 'package' containing proposals to both Athens and Ankara which requires mutual concessions to be acceptable. It is evident that Nato's south-eastern flank must be strengthened and there must be a rapprochement between Turkey and Greece to facilitate their relations," he said.
Referring to Turkey's incursion against Iraq, Mr. Claes said that no member of the alliance had requested that the issue be put on the agenda. "We were briefed by Turkey when it deemed it expedient," he said.
Greece and Israel yesterday signed a police co-operation agreement to combat terrorism and drug trafficking within the framework of common European Union policy for co-operation with non-EU countries on various levels. The agreement was signed by Public Order Minister Sifis Valyrakis and his Israeli counterpart Moshe Shabal.
During a meeting yesterday, the two men discussed ways of preventing the trafficking of hard drugs and methods of treating addicts. It was decided that the heads of the two countries' narcotics agencies should exchange views on the fight against drug trafficking as well as on other issues related to prevention and detoxification.
Within this framework, a series of visits, lectures and seminars will be held for the purpose of training personnel in narcotics-related matters.
The two countries decided to co-operate in the fight against terrorism by exchanging information and security know-how. Yesterday's agreement will also make it possible for specially trained police officers of each country to take part, at the request of the other country, in investigations concerning terrorism. It also provides for the setting up of a joint Greek-Israeli committee which will meet when circumstances so require.
President Clinton's special envoy on the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) issue Matthew Nimetz told Skopje state radio yesterday that there would not be a meeting between Athens and Skopje today on their outstanding differences, confirming earlier rumours.
He said that it was uncertain when a new meeting date would be fixed. UN mediator on the issue, Cyrus Vance, had invited both parties to meet today for direct talks. Greece has said it would participate but, as of last night, FYROM had still not officially replied to Mr. Vance.
In Athens, government spokesman Evangelos Venizelos reaffirmed Greece's commitment to participate in the New York meeting, saying Greece was participating in all the initiatives of UN mediator Cyrus Vance on the FYROM issue with its known positions. "The problems and intransigence originate elsewhere," Mr. Venizelos said.
FYROM's Foreign Ministry has not replied in writing to Mr. Van-ce's invitation for talks, with Skopje repeatedly saying over the past week that it does not intend to engage in dialogue while Greek economic sanctions remain in force.
Meanwhile, Political Spring party leader Antonis Samaras called on the government, in view of what he described as the commencement of "the unacceptable direct dialogue," to confirm or deny whether, behind the scenes, pressure was being exerted for the removal of the embargo for the duration of the talks, that the dialogue would focus on the so-called 'mini package', with no commitment by the Skopje side to make concessions on the name issue and that Greece was being blackmailed to make concessions, before the verdict of the European Court is announced, on the issue of the trade sanctions. Mr. Samaras also called on the main opposition "to abandon its double-language and clearly state its position on the issue."
Greece imposed trade sanctions as retortion measures against Skopje in a bid to curb the neighbouring country's intransigence and force it to change its name, remove ancient Greek symbols from its flag, and change the preamble of its constitution expressing territorial designs against Greece's northern province of Macedonia.
Western European Union (WEU) Secretary-General Jose Cutilheiro arrived here yesterday from Brussels on a two-day official visit, accompanied by National Defence Minister Gerassimos Arsenis.
Mr. Cutilheiro is visiting Greece, which became a full member of the EU's proposed defence arm last month, as part of a tour of WEU member states.
He was due to meet late yesterday with Prime Minister Andreas Papandreou and have separate talks tomorrow with President of the Republic Kostis Stephanopoulos, Foreign Minister Karolos Papoulias, Mr. Arsenis and main opposition New Democracy party leader Miltiades Evert.
Mr. Arsenis Monday pledged Greece's full involvement in the union at a meeting of the WEU permanent diplomatic representatives council in Brussels.
US Assistant Secretary of State for European Affairs Richard Holbrooke is due here tomorrow for an official visit and talks with Prime Minister Andreas Papandreou and Foreign Minister Karolos Papoulias, government spokesman Evangelos Venizelos announced yesterday. The spokesman said that Mr. Holbrooke would meet with Mr. Papandreou on Saturday.
Asked whether Greece was ready to discuss confidence-building measures in the Aegean in view of Mr. Holbrooke's visit, Mr. Venizelos said that Greece was prepared to discuss "all issues which concern stability and peace in the region, bearing in mind it s known positions and national interests".
In a related development, Mr. Venizelos denied the existence of a letter from Mr. Papandreou to the Chief of the National Defence General Staff, Admiral Christos Lymberis, reportedly asking the latter to examine in detail the issue of Greece's extension of its territorial waters in the Aegean from six to twelve miles.
A report in yesterday's edition of the Athens daily "Apogevmatini" claimed that Mr. Papandreou had sent such a letter. "It is unheard of for the prime minister to communicate by letter and directly with the chief of the National Defence General Staff," Mr. Venizelos said, adding that "Greece's positions on this matter are known and nothing has changed in this regard".
Greek President Kostis Stephanopoulos yesterday received the credentials of the newly-appointed ambassadors of Hungary, Colombia and France. Present at the meeting were Foreign Minister Karolos Papoulias and Ambassador Emmanuel Ghikas, Secretary-General of the President's office.
The health of PASOK party deputy Yiannis Alevras took a turn for the worse yesterday after the former parliament president contracted a serious lung infection. The director of the intensive care unit of the Ygeia hospital in Athens, Haralambos Paschalis, told the ANA that Mr. Alevras' condition had worsened due to an infection of the right lung.
Mr. Paschalis said that Mr. Alevras was being treated with strong antibiotics. According to a medical communiqui issued shortly after noon, the treatment had not yet succeeded in checking the infection.
Mr. Alevras was admitted to the Ygeia hospital on Monday for bronchial pneumonia. Prime Minister Andreas Papandreou paid Mr. Alevras a visit last night.
Minister to the Prime Minister's Office Ioannis Pottakis said yesterday all public appointments would take place without exception in accordance with Law 2190, and there would be no new appointments in 1995, unless specific needs arose.
He specifically denied rumours that the Ministry of Health, Welfare and Social Security, and public utilities were planning to hire staff in exemption of Law 2190. He said procedures for the hiring of 5,600 public employees, either through nation-wide examinations scheduled for April 8 and 9, or through a points system based partly on social criteria, were underway. There would be more appointments of specialised staff on the basis of the points system, but needs for seasonal staff had not been ascertained yet, he added.
He said the government was promoting constitutional guarantees for the new system of hiring in the public sector, which would apply to all categories of staff. Meanwhile, Mr. Pottakis' predecessor and current Justice Minister Anastasios Peponis, who resigned in December last year, protesting a newspaper article he considered as "undermining" efforts to reform the public sector, yesterday expressed his categorical opposition to the possibility of public appointments in exemption of Law 2190.
Charges that the full application of the law caused excessive delays were also advanced last year by persons wishing to undermine it, he added.